Phuket News / Island’s Latest Updates

International media reports fuel fears. The blockades of Phuket and Hat Yai international airports by the People Alliance for Democracy (PAD) dealt a serious blow to the regional economy. Arrivals dropped by a half, according to local tourism industry organizations. The representatives of the Phuket tourism industry organizations yesterday held a joint press conference to draw attention to their economic plight caused by the recent political unrest. The conference said the airport blockade, from Aug 29 to Aug 31, resulted in the cancellation of many hotel bookings and other travel plans to the world-famous resort island.

The participating organizations included Phuket’s Chamber of Commerce, Phuket’s Federation of Thai Industrial, the provincial tourism business association, the provincial tourist guide association, and the hotelier associations. Besides, footage of violent clashes between anti- and pro-government supporters on Aug 29 released by international news media fueled fears among many countries, 14 of which warned their nationals against visiting Thailand.

The tourism industry organizations demanded the government put an end to the ongoing chaos as soon as possible and vowed to rebuild the shattered confidence of foreign tourists through the multilateral cooperation. Iam Thawornwongwong, the chairman of the provincial chamber of commerce, urged the PAD supporters not to seal off the airport again, as it had taken a long time to revitalize the island’s tourism industry following the December 2004 tsunami. Methee Tanmanatrakul, the president of the Association for Hotels in Southern Thailand, said the three-day airport blockade caused an estimated 250 million baht in lost revenues each day.

Phuket tourism association deputy chairman Purit Maswongsa said tourist arrivals had dropped by 50%, when compared with the same period last year. Nimit Chaijirathikul, president of Songkhla Tourism Association, said the group had asked PAD demonstrators to stop blockading the entrance to Hat Yai airport, as it had severely affected tourism in the province.

The airport entrance was still being blocked last night, resulting in flights being canceled. Mr Nimit asked the PAD protesters to relocate their rally to the front of the provincial hall instead. ”Malaysian and Singaporean media outlets have made a big deal about the airport disruption in Thailand and the two countries have warned their people not to travel to Hat Yai and other prime destinations,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ayutthaya’s tourism industry bore the brunt of the current political turmoil, as it saw a drop in foreign tourists, especially the Japanese, by 80%, said Itthipan Khaolamai, the publicist for the provincial tourism business association. Apart from the cancellation of hotel bookings, Mr Itthipan, who was also in charge of the Ayutthaya Elephant Kraal, said most of the Japanese tourists canceled their travel to the province and elephant-riding tour bookings due to safety concerns.

In Chiang Mai, Songwit Itthipattanakul, the president of the provincial tourism business association, said the local tourism industry had been hurt by the political unrest to some extent, but exact figures were not yet known as the damage assessment was in progress. He urged the government take swift action to restore the national unity.

News officially published by Bankkok Post - bangkokpost.com